Today we broke freezing, had a cloudless sky, it is Friday, and I just wrapped up a big two-day conference we have been working to organize for the last 6 months. Woo hoo!
Tomorrow I am planning on a medium-long run, something around 13 miles, and as I started to think about it I got a feeling I haven't had in a while...a huge rush of excitement that just envelopes me and leaves me feeling supercharged and up for adventure. It's hard to explain, but it's like an anxiety attack, only totally positive and empowering.
This winter has been a tough test with something like 40"+ of snow and week after week of sub-freezing temperatures. It separates the runners from the joggers, that's for sure.
Conditions are still not ideal for speed, but it does add some adventure. Because sidewalks are not clear I've changed some of my routes and today found myself running down Southgate drive that has one of those sensors and signs that tells you how fast you are driving and when you are going too fast. Well, darn if that thing didn't flash a big "8" mph when I went by!! Then I tried the walking path and discovered the slim asphalt trail was obstructed by big snow boulders that rolled onto it from the plows. That made for a nice steeplechase course of sorts.
I'm still in my "unstructured" running phase. I noticed though that all my running seems to have my heart rate in the 160-170 range, with little variation. I'm not doing such a great job managing my workouts and changing them up, but I'm enjoying it and have been logging consistent miles. For now that will have to suffice.
